AllTrails strikes Nat Geo partnership

AllTrails is announcing a partnership today with National Geographic that will create the largest outdoor recreation community online, the San Francisco startup says.

The two-year-old company already offers free access to one of the biggest databases of hiking trail information for North America, through its website and mobile apps.

The service allows users to pull up maps and reviews of local trails, which can be sorted by things like proximity, length, elevation gain and pet policies. They can also track their hikes and tag photos along the way using GPS.

The partnership will roll National Geographic’s Topo.com site and audience into AllTrails.com. Similar to AllTrails, Topo allows consumers to access, customize and share its high-quality outdoor maps.

The new co-branded site goes live today. Next month, AllTrails will also kick off a subscription service that grants users access to the National Geographic maps, as well as additional GPS capabilities. The pricing hasn’t been announced.

AllTrails attempts to solve a problem that ever hiker has run into: The challenge of finding accurate information to help select and navigate trails. Correct and up-to-date maps and details are no small considerations when wandering into wilderness with mountain lions and snakes.

Yet much of the trail data online today is widely dispersed and frequently unreliable. Buying physical books and maps are an option, but typically only after you’ve narrowed your search to — and arrived in — a particular zip code.